National Film Research Articles

The manifesto in Martin Scorsese's auteur films

Relevance. In the period from 1917 to the early 1960s, there was a paradigm of �classic Hollywood�, in which films were produced according to the dominant aesthetic, genre and narrative formulas, the characters represented themselves as specific typical images with understandable motivations for the general public. Martin Scorsese is a representative of cinematography, who changed classical views of film art. That is why the study of Martin Scorsese's work remains relevant for researchers in the field of cinematography and culture to the present day.Purpose. The purpose of this work is to study the creativity of director, screenwriter and actor Martin Scorsese, as well as to identify the author's style in the artist's work, determine his author's handwriting and manner.Methodology. The methodology of this research is based on theoretical methods of scientific knowledge, in particular, the method of information analysis and synthesis, the cultural method, as well as historical and comparative methods were used.Results. The study was conducted theoretical analysis of scientific literature. The work considered the life and creative path of the director. In particular, the still image technique used by Scorsese was analysed, as well as his own director's handwriting. Scorsese's activities during public speeches and discussions related to the preservation of the National Film Foundation and the development of a new cinema are considered. Such films of the director as �Taxi Driver�, �Raging Bull�, �Nice Guys�, �Cape Fear�, �Age of Innocence�, �Casino�, �Gangs of New York�, �Aviator�, �The Departed�, �Island of the Damned�, �Silence� were analysed.Conclusions. The results of the research can be used by students of directing specialties and teachers of special disciplines to study the creativity of the director, screenwriter and actor Martin Scorsese during theoretical practical classes.

Working inside/out films division: the discursive documentary practices of Joshy Joseph

ABSTRACT Films Division stands as one of the pioneering institutions in post-independent India that played a crucial role in shaping and envisioning the country's identity as a post-colonial nation. Established in 1948, it is the largest repository of moving images in India. Despite being a state-regulated institution responsible for overseeing the production and distribution of newsreels and documentary films to support the objectives of nation building, integration, and development, there is a school of filmmakers inside Films Division who made films beyond the perceived boundaries of the institution. Identified as the 'transient outliers', these filmmakers have created experimental films within Films Division that challenged the collective and homogeneous vision of Films Division films. Joshy Joseph is one among the transgressive voices within the institution who has created innovative and experimental cinematic works despite operating within the confines of state censorship. In the context of the recent decision by the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to merge Films Division with the National Film Development Corporation, this interview with Joseph explores his life and politics as a filmmaker in Films Division. The interview also delves into Joseph's creative contributions, including innovative editing, incorporation of found footage, and utilization of still images, which emphasize his unique cinematic style.

Кельтская триада: кинематографии британских национальных меньшинств и «внутренний колониализм»

The global success, both in viewership and expert community, of auteur feature films Belfast, directed by Kenneth Branagh, and The Banshees of Inisherin, directed by Martin McDonagh, and produced by independent Northern Irish companies in 2022–2023, prompts a closer examination of the challenges faced by the national minority cinemas of Great Britain. Specifically, we focus on the culturally and linguistically related regions of Northern Ireland, Wales, and Scotland, collectively referred to in this article as the Celtic Triad, which represent a significant presence in the world cinema landscape. A number of British film historians and sociologists argue that national film industries are on the verge of survival, highlighting two main trends in the context of national cinema: inclusivity and sovereignty. From the perspective of the dominant ethnic group and its major production companies, inclusivity entails assimilation into the mainstream, while sovereignty involves preserving distinct national cultural characteristics. The representatives of national minorities are striving to safeguard these characteristics in the face of what American sociologist Michael Hechter termed internal colonialism—a policy implemented by the dominant Anglo-Saxon ethnic group towards cultures of national minorities and expressed in their marginalization and Anglification. A negative consequence of these dynamics, according to Hechter, is ethnocentrism, that is, the prevalence of one’s own culture in shaping perceptions of the world. Nevertheless, as this article demonstrates, the strategies employed by the Celtic Triad in pursuit of economic independence and artistic self-determination not only ensure the survival of national cinema but also establish its distinct sovereignty and success beyond the borders of Great Britain. Television broadcasting in national languages, which has gained popularity with the advent of digital broadcasting, plays a significant role in this process. An important contributing factor here is the economic and socio-cultural collaborations of these cinemas with both domestic and international partners, relying primarily on the influence of soft power and implying adaptation not only by adjusting to them, but also by active interchange and cross-fertilization of cultures.

Авантюрно-приключенческое немое кино и советский антропологический проект

The article aims to explore the role of national cinema in the early 20th century and its contribution to the development of the Soviet anthropological project. Any significant transformation of society involves the human factor. This factor can be observed in two ways: as a consequence of changes, which shape the new social experiences acquired through individual socialization, and as the unique qualities of those organizing the transformations. The beginning of the 20th century marked a period of active formation of mass society, urban lifestyles, and entertainment industries. Within this landscape, cinema held a special, perhaps even crucial, position—probably due to its accessibility and the condensed intensity of content presentation. The adventure genre, in particular, played a dominant role and greatly contributed to the success of film distribution. The interplay between commercial and creative aspects has been influential in shaping the development of cinema from its inception. However, during the Soviet era, the balance between entertainment and creativity began to shift, influenced by socio-political circumstances. Firstly, there was an increasing emphasis on social themes in films. Secondly, by the 1930s, these circumstances had evolved into direct political pressure, significantly impacting the content requirements for films and even the fate of their creators. This resulted in a clear contradiction: while cinema content portrayed the ideal of an initiative, responsible, and creative individual, in reality, individuals, including film authors, were expected to conform to ideological requirements. This contradiction between the broadcast content and the real lives of people led to the squandering of the resources of the anthropology project and the creative potential of cinema. Nonetheless, it did not impede the development of models and technologies that shaped the personalized power of mass society, which have retained their significance to this day. Hence, cinema, which initially emerged as a form of entertainment with adventure genre for a dominant, not only played a role in shaping the concept of the “mass man,” but also laid the groundwork for the models and technologies that defined a “person in power.”

ЭТНОПОЭТИЧЕСКИЕ ОСОБЕННОСТИ ПЕРВОГО ИГРОВОГО ФИЛЬМА В РЕСПУБЛИКЕ АЛТАЙ

The article presents an analysis of the first feature film “The Path”, created in the Altai Republic. The stylistic searches of M. Kulunakov in recreating on the screen a visual picture of the life of the Altai people are revealed. The author of the study, highlighting some features of national cinema, examines the visual principles in the film “The Path”, its ethnic identity, and interprets the images of the characters. Based on the analysis of film language, the originality of the artistic and figurative embodiment of national identity is revealed.

ЖУРНАЛ «СОВЕТСКИЙ ЭКРАН» В ЭПОХУ «ПЕРЕСТРОЙКИ»

The authors based on content analysis (in the context of historical, socio-cultural and political situation, etc.) of the texts published in the "thaw" period of the "Soviet Screen" magazine (1986-1991). ), the authors concluded that the materials on the subject of Western cinema at this stage can be divided into the following genres: ideologized articles emphasizing criticism of bourgeois cinema and its harmful influence on the audience (1986-1987); articles on the history of Western cinema; biographies and creative portraits of Western actors and directors; interviews with Western filmmakers; reviews of Western films; articles on international film festivals and foreign film weeks in the USSR; reviews of the current repertoire of Western national cinemas.

ПРОСТРАНСТВО ЖЕНСКОЙ СВОБОДЫ В КИНЕМАТОГРАФЕ АЗЕРБАЙДЖАНА 1920-1930-Х ГГ.: МЕЖДУ АДАТОМ И СОВЕТСКОЙ ИДЕОЛОГИЕЙ

Azerbaijani cinema is considered in the article as a phenomenon of national Art in the transit period on the cross of avant-garde trends of the 1920s and the ‘great’ Stalinist style of the first half of the 1930s. That time film directors of the republic like many others in the Soviet Union were focused on ‘the women’s issue’. The local specifics combined with the cross-cultural and interregional dialogue in cinema formed the common thematic tasks that were all across the Soviet Union but the same time, local and national specific emerged on the screens. The article studies four films that explore the ‘female space of freedom’ such as: “In the Name of God” by A.-M. Sharifzadeh,1925; “Sevil” by A. Bek-Nazarian,1929; “Ismet” by M. Mikayilov, 1934 and “Almaz” by A.-R. Kuliev and G. Braginsky, 1936. The approach provides an opportunity to uncover two issues: historical and methodological. On the one hand, the study of early Azerbaijani films allows to deeper the understanding of the social processes that took place in the region and the ways of its representation in Soviet cinema. On the other hand, the study demonstrates the general process of interdisciplinary migration of concepts and related theories, shows the phenomenon of national cinema through the prism of interdisciplinary ideas and concepts.

Повышение эффективности государственной политики в сфере кинематографа с помощью машинного обучения

A study was conducted on the distribution data of a range of Russian national films from 2004 to September 2023 using machine learning methods, with successful and unsuccessful films and patriotic projects considered separately. The study utilized the ensemble machine learning model HistGradientBoostingClassifier and a sequential fully connected three-layer neural network based on the TensorFlow library, along with basic methods of natural language processing. It was found that patriotic films exhibit distribution characteristics lower than the market average and significantly lag behind successful Russian cinema projects at the box office. The study demonstrated the possibility of accurately predicting film box office receipts, distribution characteristics, as well as selecting project parameters and the composition of its creative team to enhance distribution results and increase the reach of target audiences. The study also illustrated the use of language models, specifically through film annotations, to create effective film content. A conclusion was drawn regarding the need for a set of measures to implement state policy in the field of education, information technology, culture, and art, focusing on the creation of unified media franchises and umbrella brands encompassing films, TV series, computer and online games, music, and other products. The implementation of the research results will enhance the effectiveness of public policy and the return on public and private- public investments in the creative industries sector, positioning cinema and the creative industry as self-sustaining and income-generating sectors of the economy. Leveraging rental data from other markets will facilitate the creation of content with higher demand globally, serving as a soft power and cultural influence tool. The results of the study can aid in project selection and film project development by the Russian Cinema Fund, the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, private Russian investors and film studios, as well as authorities and organizations responsible for distributing Russian film content abroad.

‘Once you are in number 9 you are stuck in this space’: Constraint, Creativity and Inside No. 9

In this article, I will explore the ways in which the critically acclaimed British TV comedy anthology series Inside No. 9 (BBC Two, 2014–), created and written by Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, uses constraints to facilitate creativity. While the generative properties of constraint have been explored by a wide range of scholars, their application to understanding the creative process in film and television has been limited, with studies of pedagogical approaches at the National Film School of Denmark and their influence on Danish cinema and television being the key example. While frequently described as ‘dark comedy’, Inside No. 9 embraces a wide range of subject matter and genre conventions, ranging from gothic horror to naturalistic drama. But the primary distinguishing characteristic of the show is that the self-contained stories are confined entirely or predominantly to a single location – frequently the No. 9 in question – and feature a limited cast. In addition to this foundational premise, the series embraces the generative properties of constraints in a rich variety of ways – including spatial, temporal, narrative and intertextual. This article will explore how these have functioned to create one of the most innovative and critically successful British TV shows of the last decade.

Indigenous Visual History: Remembering “Us” in Indian Residential School Hockey Photographs

Photography was a potent settler colonial technology that was employed — and contested — in the residential school system. In one photographic campaign, the Canadian government marshalled images of Indigenous children on a once-in-a-lifetime hockey excursion to publicly convey it was successfully assimilating them into Euro-Canadian society. The 1951 Sioux Lookout Black Hawks, a residential school hockey team from the Pelican Lake Indian Residential School (Anglican) in northwestern Ontario, were taken on a whirlwind exhibition tour to Ottawa and Toronto. They were celebrated by high-ranking governmental and Anglican church officials who posed alongside them in a series of professional photographs taken by a National Film Board’s Still Photography Division photographer and commissioned by the Department of Indian Affairs. These photographs suggested that hockey fostered appropriate masculinity and citizenship values, in line with the government’s assimilationist agenda. The responses of three hockey players shown in these images some seventy years after they were taken, and our exploration of how the survivors interpellated the colonial knowledge embedded in the photographs to reconstitute their own subjectivities, extends the small-but-growing canon of visual repatriation, where archival photographs are “returned” to Indigenous communities who were the subjects of the colonizers’ lenses. Ultimately, we demonstrate how the survivors’ responses to the photographs (and their implied meanings) comprise technologies of Indigenous memory that re-centre themselves and their communities as authors of their own stories, and, thus, their epistemic futures.

Kazuo Ishiguro’nun Değişen Dünyada Bir Sanatçı (1986) Adlı Eserinde Endüstri olarak Kültür

Kazuo Ishiguro’s works generally revolve around the function and meaning of art for individuals in society, and he emphasizes the subjectivity and volatility of fragmented individual memory as a counterpart to collective memory as in the case of Masuji Ono in An Artist of the Floating World (1986). The story is narrated by Ishiguro’s unreliable and resentful narrator Masuji Ono, whom the reader learns was once in the service of the Japanese imperial government with his propagandistic paintings and teachings during the Imperial period. In this essay, I will argue that Ishiguro attempts to show us the deception of an entire nation in which the traumatized collective memory of the post-war period collides with the individual and subjective memory of the self-deceiving Masuji Ono through specific examples from the text. In order to show the fragmented and disturbed public memory, the changes in Japanese society and culture depicted in Ishiguro’s novel are examined and observed using examples from Ono’s grandson Ichiro’s cinematic experiences, which show us the Americanization process in occupied Japan in light of Adorno’s theory of the "culture industry."

The Manaki Brothers. The Chroniclers of the “Third” Europe

At the time of the birth of cinema at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, one more area was created on the cultural map of Europe, next to the West and the East. In the heart of this “third” Europe, under the rule of the Ottoman Empire, worked famous photographers of Wallachian origin, Janaki and Milton Manaki, their film work made them famous in the early 20th century as pioneers of “Balkan cinema”. Most of the films that have survived to this day were made in the Ottoman period. They are a testimony of everyday life as well as important events that influenced the course of the history of the region. The study of the life and work of the Manaki brothers seems to be dominated by the least important aspect, that is, the question of their origin and nationality. Their films are included in many national cinema discourses in the Balkans, from North Macedonia, through Greece, Romania, to Albania and Turkey. This article, representing a synthesis of brighter research, is, on the one hand, an attempt to organize (objective) knowledge about the lives and works of the Manaki brothers, and on the other hand, an in-depth introduction to their film work.

Модели сексуального поведения в российском кинематографе: образец или демотиватор для молодежи?

Increasing the birth rate is established as one of the priority goals of the country’s policy. Despite the imple-mented economic measures of pronatalist policy, negative trends cannot be reversed. One of the tools poten-tially influencing the dynamics of fertility is cinematography, which can influence the values of the youth. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the study of the image of sexual behavior, which is broadcast by cinema and can influence the formation of reproductive and matrimonial attitudes. The aim of the work is to examine the image of the relationship between a man and a woman created in films and TV series. The method is a content analysis of films demonstrating themes related to family. It is revealed that in the films, the role of the family as an approved and legal instrument for satisfying the need for sex prevails; in the vast majority of cas-es, cheating partners are portrayed negatively; at the same time, promiscuous sexual relations are romanti-cized; while polygyny is often shown from a negative position and polyandry from a positive one. The assump-tion is made that state funding is given to film projects that broadcast the model of the traditional family, and the implementation of pro-natalist policies is accompanied by the choice of appropriate themes by the national cinema.

The Spectrum of Han: Cultural Psychology in Korean National Cinema

Over the past three decades, Korean cinema has garnered increasing acclaim both domestically and globally and solidified its unique standing in the realm of filmmaking. This article delves into the intricacies of han, a cultural psychological Korean element that has significantly influenced Korean cinema. Han encompasses a distinct collective cultural psychology characterized by lingering resentment, pain, sadness, and anger. The persistent thematic exploration of han and societal darkness has played a pivotal role in shaping the trajectory of Korean national cinema. Korean national cinema is distinguished by its foundational core of collective trauma, exposing societal darkness, and expressing han in response to societal darkness. This article summarizes the significant implications of Korean national cinema’s depiction of societal darkness from the perspectives of promoting societal progress and safeguarding the Korean domestic film market. The analysis further examines how Korean national cinema strategically employs plot, theme, and ending to construct a logical progression that articulates and intensifies han towards societal darkness. Ultimately, this paper advocates for the vigilance of Korean national cinema against cultural discounts in its proactive overseas promotion.

Revelatory Inebriation and Westward Projections: Bolek Polívka’s Father Figures in Mid-2000s Czech Cinema

In the mid-2000s, prominent Czech actor Bolek Polívka played palpably flawed father figures in the films Pupendo (2003) and Something Like Happiness (2005). Polívka’s patresfamilias iterate the tendencies of alcohol consumption and antiheroism common for portrayals of masculinity in Czech texts in these films, which reflect post-communist attitudes about current affairs and perspectives on the former regime. This paper applies theories pertaining to regional literature and national cinemas to explore Polívka’s peculiar roles as father figures responding to local social codes and notions about the West. The analysis assesses Polívka’s select patresfamilias against characters from his prior films as well as familiar figures in the Czech cultural canon, e.g. Josef Švejk. The discussion also proposes an understanding of alcohol use in Pupendo and Something Like Happiness as a narrative device that brings about instances of intimacy and revelation. Polívka’s acting engenders moments of truth that clarify his characters’ stances and align them with narrative developments of both films. In accordance with concentrating on the actor, this paper accounts for the complexity that Polívka’s off-screen persona and local success add to his characters.

Playing the minzu/minzoku card: Melodramas of race and nation in colonial Manchuria

Through the lens of minzu/minzoku (‘ethos’, ‘race’, or ‘nation’), this paper examines the melodrama practices of the Manchuria Film Association (Manying), a Japan-financed film production company that aimed to create a ‘national cinema’ for the diverse ethnic populations in the ‘­puppet’ state’ Manchukuo (1932-1945). Beginning with an analysis of contemporaneous discourse on minzu/minzoku, it unravels the cinematic transaction and circulation of ‘racialized feelings’ across Japan, China, and Hollywood and illustrates how knowledge production about race and nation in the three empires overlapped. Next, it traces how Manchurian melodramas deployed pathos and action in stirring and regulating ‘racialized emotions’ and how the minzu/minzoku card was played by Chinese and Japanese filmmakers differently. A cross-cultural and transgeneric mode, it argues, melodramas in Manchuria helped to shape new ways of conceiving nation and race amid the global expansion of colonial modernity.

Jak autor zdjęć może pomóc aktorowi, czyli Joker od kuchni


 
 
 The main inspiration of my essay How the cinematographer can help the actor – an insider’s perspective on Joker is Lawrence Sher’s masterclass that took place on 1st December 2020 via Zoom. It was a masterclass for students of the Polish National Film School in Lodz and I had great honor to lead this workshop. In this article, I try to analyze how a cinematographer can help actor to make a great performance. My essay is a “case study” because I focus how cinematographic means create a story and serve the actor who likes to improvise.
 
 

The peculiarity of the musical and sound continuum in the epic "War and Peace" by Sergei Bondarchuk

Using the example of the domestic film adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's epic novel "War and Peace", the features of the sound component of the film are investigated. A comparative analysis of the author's text of the writer and his cinematic interpretation is carried out. A significant part of the article is devoted to the issues of sound engineering, the organization of the acoustic (noise) environment of the film. The problems of modern reconstruction of film classics, the difficulties of "translating" the original into a new digital format are also touched upon. The issues of preservation and popularization of the cinematic heritage of Russia are raised. The role of the regional film distribution system in promoting the national film classics, educating the younger generation of moviegoers is noted. The field of application of the research results is cultural studies, theory and practice of film studies, art criticism. The scientific novelty of the research consists in the analysis of the musical and sound continuum of Sergei Bondarchuk's film epic. For the first time, an attempt was made to study the features of not only the musical context of the film, but also the noise environment, the acoustic originality of colloquial speech. A detailed analysis of off-screen monologues, which play an important dramatic role in the film narrative, is carried out. Special attention is paid to the history of the national digital reconstruction of the epic "War and Peace", undertaken in the 1990s. The role of modern technologies, which allowed to preserve the musical and acoustic environment of the film, is noted. The question is also raised about the need to popularize a new digital version of the film adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's epic novel. The prospect of introducing a special course on the history of Russian cinema into the Russian education system is considered.

Gamson–Modigliani Framing Analysis on Cin(T)a and 3 Hati 2 Dunia 1 Cinta

The journey of the national film industry has a long history. Gradually, the film industry has become a mere commercial industry dominated by horror and comedy films. This has resulted in the formation of stereotypes that all national films have the same content and do not vary. The films "cin(T)a" and "3 Hati 2 Dunia 1 Cinta" present as new variations in national cinema, which carry the unusual theme of religious pluralism. Gamson and Modigliani's framing analysis sees mass media discourse as consisting of a number of packages to form the construction of an event. There are two aspects to framing. First, choose reality. Second, how the media presents that reality. Gamson and Modigliani's framing analysis consists of two elements: framing devices and reasoning devices. The research method used in this study is descriptive qualitative method. Descriptive qualitative methods produce up-to-date data that can be used in the development of science. The results of this study found that the films "cin(T)a" and "3 Hati 2 Dunia 1 Cinta" portray religious pluralism as a beautiful thing, and people should be able to live in harmony and comfort despite differences in society, but it does not deny that although the two films try to show the relationship between religions from a positive side, the relationship between religions is still something that cannot be accepted by some people. Based on the results of the study, the author concludes that religious pluralism is a beautiful thing in the lives of Indonesian people. However, many things must be considered if religious pluralism is associated in the context of romance, especially to the marriage ladder.

Spatial Research on Tibetan Film Images --Taking the Works of Local Tibetan Directors in China Since the New Century as an Example

Tibetan films, as a branch of Chinese national cinema, have produced many excellent works in recent years with the focus of film creators, and have made remarkable achievements in terms of filming techniques, artistic style, aesthetic value and film language, presenting a thriving scene in creation and dissemination. This paper explains the establishment of the external image space of Tibetan films since the new century, the construction of the internal spiritual space of Tibetan films, and the aesthetic presentation of the image space of the Tibetan New Wave, analyses and summarizes the ethnic and cultural attributes of Tibetan-themed film creations in a specific geographic region as exemplified by director Pema Tseden, and enriches research on the image space of Tibetan themes. The analysis summarize the national cultural attributes of Tibetan-themed film creation in a specific geographical area, enriching the study of Tibetan-themed images.